5 Napkin Burger

The missus and I ended up here yesterday after walking almost the length of Steinway Street and developing a crazed, frenetic hunger that has been observed only in the form of lions chasing down zebras in the Serengeti. Uno? Nope. Applebees? No chance. 5N? You know I'm down.

We were lured in by the bait like fish to a worm. $2 sliders and $4 draft beer happy hour. Sold. The sign said "at the bar only," but there were no seats at the bar. The hostess noticed our dismay and asked us if we would like to enjoy the happy hour outside since no seats were available at the bar.

Five Napkin Burger in Astoria. Photo Credit: Flickr

Take the M/R to 36th Street and walk 3 blocks up 38th from Queens Blvd, past Studio Square and onto the deliciousness that awaits you. Do these stand up against the burger titans of the city? Head on past the break to find out.


Slider options were as follows: Ground chuck with caramelized onions and a rosemary aioli, smashed turkey meatball with a spicy tomato sauce and roasted peppers and a veggie burger. They also had 50 cent wings and pulled pork taquitos with queso fresco, roasted pineapple salsa and sour cream for $2 also.  We dove into the chuck, turkey and taquitos.

Next came the chuck sliders. Small, but delicious looking with a pile of carmelized onions topped with a nice dallop of the rosemary aioli. Pro tip: drip a small amount of A1 on top. The first flavor that hits you is the meat. Seasoned perfectly, nice and juicy. Would have rather had the burger done medium, but was not given the option. Medium well would have to do. After the meat comes the onions and aioli. Wow. Smooth, creamy and refreshing. The slight tang from the A1 and the buttery sweetness that came from the roll made this an orgy of flavor in mouth that made me wish I had Guy Fieri's job. I want to eat burgers for a living after having this slider.

The turkey slider was on the same sweet, buttery bun as the chuck but was topped with a brilliantly red, spicy tomato sauce and delicious looking red and yellow peppers. The turkey was moist, perfectly cooked and seasoned by a veteran. The sauce had the exact amount of spice it should and the sweet peppers gave it the extra kick that put it over the top. Bull's eye. If done correctly, anything can be made into a meatball. This was done exquisitely.

This place makes Shake Shack seem amateur. Danny Meyer is a pioneer, but 5 Napkin has taken it to the next level. Choice of meat temperature for the sliders would make it 5 stars. Choose any combination of the $2 sliders, taquitos or wings and you have a delicious meal.